Apparatus for cooling and conditioning air



Dec. 1, 1936. R. J. ROBERTS 2,062,728 I APPARATUS FOR COOLING ANDCONDITIONING AIR Filed March 22, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet l I NVE NTOR.

Y JT IAMO ATTORNEY;

' Dec. 1, 1936.

R. J. ROBERTS 2,062,728

APPARATUS FOR COOLING AND CONDITIONING AIR 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March22, 1935 w/ [in BYasya'l-bd ATTORNEY.

1 VENTOR.

Dec. 1, 1936. R ROBERTS 2,062,728

APPARATUS FOR COOLING AND CONDITIONING AIR Filed March 22, 1935 4Sheets-Sheet 5 I T INgENTOR. I J 4'. 241.24-

ATTORNEY.

Dec. 1, 1936. R. J. ROBERTS I APPARATUS FOR COOLING AND CONDITIONING AIRFiled March 22, 1935- 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 WZNVENTOR.

I ATTORNEY.

Patented Deli. 1, 1936 PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR oooLiNe'AnnCONDITIONING Am Raney J. Roberts, Detroit, Mich.

Application March 22, 1935, Serial No. 12,413

3 Claims.

My invention relates to an apparatus for cooling and conditioning airand the object of my improvements is to insure greater efficiency thanhas been obtained by devices designed for a like purpose,as nowemployed.

I obtain this object in the apparatus shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is an elevation of the same in longitudinal section,in theplane taken on the dot and dash line 2-2 of Figure 4,and shown connectedwith a hot-air furnace.

Figure 3is'a plan view partly broken away, as indicated by the dot anddash,line and arrows 33, in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view, taken substantially on theline 4-4, in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail elevation taken as indicated by the brokerrline5-5, in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a modi- In the form shown inFigures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, g

'the apparatus may be located in' the basement and the air taken from anupper room through a descending conduit A and delivered to thedistributing system D of the furnace F, througha delivery pipe B;--water being supplied from service pipes-not shown-under control of afloat actuated conical valve C. The supply of air delivered to theintake of the fan casing, may be regulated by a damper E, manipulatedfrom an upper floor by a rod e.

Referring ,in the first place more particularly to Figures 6 to 10inclusive:

The numeral 2 denotes an approximately rectangular casing having atitsends the downwardly extending pedestals 2d and 2b. Said casing isdivided into an upper compartment 3 and a lower compartment 4 by apartition 5, which is bent downward at the right to serve as-the upperwall of the intake passage and at the left at 5a. it is bent upward overand downward to form a put of the wall of a passage for delivering andadapted to the passage 3a.

air into the upper compartment 3. The numeral 6 indicates an intakepassage opening, preferably from the inner side of the pedestal 2a,, andextending upward and then horizontally to about the center of the casing'2, along the partition 5 forming the bottom of the compartment 3 and apart of the wall of said passage. The numeral I indicates a centrifugalfan having the casing 8 in which its axis is'eccentrically located. Thecasing 8 is open at its outer end to the compart- 10 ment 4, and itsdelivery passage 8a extends to the part 5a of the partition 5 to formtherewith a passage opening downward and inwardly, into the compartment3.

The numeral 9., (Figure 9) indicates an elec- H trio motor for operatingthe fan I. III, I0 are cylinders of wire meeting in the compartment 3secured upon a shaft resting in bearings parallel to the shaft of thefanl. The numeral indicates a belt passing over pulleys on the shafts wthe upper portion of the end wall of the casing 2 int'o'the. compartment3 sloping gradually down-.

, ward, and then bends abruptly downward to bring the lower edge I2a ata slightly lower level thanthe inner edge of the wall 5a. This forms theenclosedj'air space I3}, and the wall 5a forms a 35 similar enclosed airspace I4 atthe other end of the casing 2. The numeral I5 indicates areservoir to contain water to supply the same to the compartment 3 asrequired. The top of the compartment 3 is also the bottom of thereservoir 'I5,--except where the passage 3b passes through the top'wallof said compartment. The numeral I6 indicates a vertical opening throughthe center of the reservoir I5, and I 5a. is a filling passage for saidreservoir. The numerals 3a. and 3b indicate consecutive connectingdischarge passages leading from the compartment 3 and to the opening I6.The passage 3a has the partition I2 for its lower wall and the top ofthe compartment 3 for its upper wall. 50

The numeral I'I indicates diaphragms of wire netting extendingtransversely across the. compartment 3, between the cylinders I0 and thepartition I2, and H11 are similar partitions in Said diaphragms 5 arehinged at their upper edges and slant downward and forward in thedirection of motion of the air.

The numeral [8 indicates a rod pivotally connected to the diaphragms l1and Ila, and pass ing through the end of the tank 2 is provided with ahandle l8a on its outer end. The angle at which said diaphragms may beadjusted is controlled by manipulating the rod l8. Diaphragms 11b in theupper wall of the passage 3b slant downward and in the direction of theair flow, and are cut away at their lower edges, and alternate withdiaphragms cut away at their upper edges, so as to deflect the currentof air toward the upper and then the lower wall of the passage 3b.

The water supply apparatus C keeps the level of the water in thecompartment 3 at the level of the lower edge of the partition 5 where itextends into the compartment 3 at 5a.

The operation of the above described apparatus is as follows:-

The fan I is rotated by the electric motor which also rotates thecylinders 10 through the belt II, and the pulleys and the respectiveshafts.

The fan 1 takes air from the compartment 4, through an open end of thecasing 8 and discharges it into the compartment 3 through the passage 8ain a downward and slanting direction against the surface of the water insaid compartment. The air is forced by, and through the interstices ofthe cylinders l0. These cylinders dip into the water at their lowerportions and carry the water up in films across the spaces of thenetting, and the current of air passing this film has water removed fromit.

The air passing along past the diaphragms l1 and Ila has the dropstherein arrested or defiected down upon the surface of the water or uponthe partition l2, as the case may be. The current of air continuingthrough the passage 32) is further acted upon by the partitions l1 andbrought into contact with the Walls of said passage which are cooled bycontact with the water in the reservoir I5.

The current of air flowing from the passage 8a draws a vacuum in thechamber I4 which causes the level of the water to rise in said chamberas shown in the drawing. The action of the air and cylinders l upon thewater between the chambers l3 and I4 causes an oscillating motionthereof, the pressure of air in one of said chambers being diminishedand in the other increased alternately, thus producing a cooling actionon the walls a of the chamber l4 and the partition l2 of the chamber 13.

The water in the above described apparatus is contact with the partition5 forming a wall of said passage. The air is further cooled by contactwith the wall 5a of the chamber l4 and the wall 12 of the chamber [3which have been cooled by the alternate compression and expansion of theair therein.

It may be observed that the fan I is placed eccentric to the casing 8.This secures a quiet action of the fan.

Water is thrown upon the partition l2 and evaporated from the surfacethereof by the passing current and cools said partition and the airpassing over it.

The operation of the apparatus, as shown in Figures 1 to 5, as appliedto hot-air furnace installation, is similar to that just described,except, for obvious reasons, the descending conduit A, from an upperroom to the distributing system D of a furnace F, is dispensed with. Infurnace installations thewater reservoir [5, the passage 3b, and thediaphragms llb, have been eliminated;the conditioned air being delivereddirectly from the passage 3a, into the distributing system D, of thefurnace.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for conditioning air, a compartment containing water;a passage for air having an orifice adapted to 'deliver air against thesurface of the water, the wall of said passage being so shaped as toform an enclosed chamber with an open mouth below the surface of thewater in said compartment; a second chamber in spaced relation tothefirst named chamber having an open mouth below the surface of saidwater; and means for impelling the water located between said chambers.

2. In an apparatus for conditioning air, a compartment containing water;an enclosed chamber having an open end below the surface of the water; asecond chamber in spaced relation to the first named chamber having anopen end below the surface of said water; a passage for air having anorifice adapted to deliver air against the surface of said water; andmeans for impelling the water between said chambers.

3. In an apparatus of the character described,

a compartment containing water; an enclosed chamber having an open endbelow the surface of said water; a second chamber in spaced relation tothe first named chamber having an open end below the surface of saidwater; a passage for air having an orifice adapted to deliver airagainst the surface of the water; a fan for propelling a current of airthrough said passage over the surface of the water; and means forimpelling the water between said chambers.

RANEY J. ROBERTS.

